[[Ewers/index.html|]]

The Western Gateway

John K. Ewers 1971, The Western Gateway: A History of Fremantle, Fremantle City Council, with UWAP, rev. ed. [1st ed. 1948].

4 The second decade
Labour difficulties . . . Beginning of banking . . . Fremantle in the ‘forties’ ... St. John’s Church . . . Loss of King’s Square . . . Other religious denominations . . . Depression . . . Export ventures . . . The first steamship arrives . . . Fremantle a free port . . . The coming of the convicts

5 The Fremantle Town Trust, 1848-1871
Acts to establish Town Trusts . . . The first Fremantle Town Trust . . . Early rating . . . Convicts and public works . . . Fremantle Literary Institute ... A brush with Governor Kennedy . . . Yorkshire flagstones for Fremantle footpaths . . . Swamps and sand-drift . . . Later rating systems

6 Fremantle under the Town Trust
Fremantle in 1851 and 1863 . . . New buildings . . . Attempts to remove the river-bar . . . Inadequate harbour protection . . . Calamity in the harbour . . . The North Fremantle traffic bridge . . . Visit of H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh . . . Telegraph line opened

7 The Town Council, 1871-1883
End of the convict system . . . A measure of responsible government . . . Fremantle Town Council established . . . The first loans . . . Steps towards a town hall . . . Purchase of land in High Street . . . Receptions and farewells . . . Early reserves

8 Fremantle in the Seventies
The deep sea jetty . . . Railway from Fremantle to Guildford opened . . . New buildings . . . Some visitors* impressions . . . The escape of the Fenians

9 The mayor and corporation
The first mayor . . . Building the Town Hall . . . Official opening . . . Murder of a councillor . . . The volunteer fire brigade . . . Water supply . . . Health matters . . . Early hospital arrangements

10 Fremantle harbour
Some early plans . . . C. Y. O’Connor’s scheme for an inner harbour . . . Sir John Forrest’s proposal . . . Select Committee’s recommendations . . . First ships in the harbour . . . Welcome to a Fremantle native . . . Council appreciation

11 The turn of the century
Population and property increases . . . Public markets . . . The Fremantle Oval . . . Municipal changes . . . Tramways and electricity . . . The problem of the bridges . . . Extension of High Street . . . Other municipal enterprises . . . Loss of railway workshops . . . New site of railway station and its consequences

12 The First World War and afterwards
Suggestion to widen High Street . . . World War I . . . Unsettled years of peace . . . Industrial unrest . . . Epidemic of pneunomic influenza . . . South Beach improvements . . . Abortive move for new sea baths . . . The fish markets . . . Suggested municipal milk supply . . . Fremantle War Memorial . . . Building activities . . . The approaching centenary

13 The Fremantle City Council
The proclamation of the City of Fremantle . . . Centenary pageants . . . Depression and unemployment relief . . . Fall in municipal revenue . . . Diphtheria immunization clinic . . . Dental clinic . . . Sanitary improvements . . . Education in Fremantle . . . Storm-water drains . . . New traffic bridge . . . World War II . . . A.R.P. and V. D.C. . . . The Mayor’s Patriotic Fund

14 Fremantle Harbour and the Twentieth Century
The significance of the Inner Harbour . . . The Fremantle Harbour Trust . . . Expansion to meet growing needs . . . The largest ships to berth . . . A serious fire . . . The harbour and World War II . . . F. W. E. Tydeman, architect of mechanization . . . The significance of Outer Harbour development . . . The problem of wharfage dues . . . The position today

15 The Kwinana Industrial Complex
Origin of name . . . Oil, steel, alumina, nickel . . . The inter-locking of industry . . . An oil-fired power station . . . The smaller industries . . . Railway terminus and marshalling yards . . . Opportunities for further development

16 Fremantle in the Post-War Years
Fremantle’s road outlets . . . Sale of electric plant and transport . . . Trust Fund established . . . Council’s early town-planning scheme . . . The Stephenson-Hepbum Regional Plan . . . Health centre . . . Hospital developments . . . Royal visits . . . W.A.'s first free library . . . Post-war educational expansion . . . Migrant population . . . The Fishermen’s Co-operative . . . Amalgamation with North Fremantle

17 Early Results of Council Planning
The O’Connor industrial area . . . Housing developments . . . Fremantle’s ‘new look' . . . The Civic Centre . . . New retail centre . . . Bus terminal . . . Car-parking facilities . . . Parks and recreational areas . . . South Beach

18 Living with History
Foundation Day celebration . . . Fremantle’s ‘west end' . . . The heart of the city . . . Plans for the preservation of historical landmarks . . . Some features worth saving . . . The Samson home . . . W. A.’s first regional museum . . . The value of a remembered past

19 Two Great Civic Leaders
F. E. Gibson . . . Early life . . . Period of office as mayor . . . Parliamentary experience . . . Knighthood in 1948 . . . Policy in Council . . . Looks back on 30 years . . . W. F. Samson, his successor in office . . . Family connections . . . Early life and schooldays . . . Establishes his own business . . . Becomes a councillor . . . Mayor in 1951 . . . Knighthood in 1962 . . . Personal identification with Fremantle, past and present

Appendices

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Freotopia

This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 27 June, 2021 and hosted at freotopia.org/ewers/index.html (it was last updated on 9 March, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.

Ewers/index.html

The Western Gateway

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